: Re: When an imagined world resembles or has similarities with a famous world Arguably this might belong in worldbuilding.stackexchange.com, but the question has to do with a fiction story and its

@Nickens642

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Welcome to writing SE.

I like both answers you've so far received.

I'll add in a suggestion. When the species is introduced, do so with a couple distracting and strongly memorable details (language, physical, cultural, naming) that are wholly unlike the existing aliens you don't want us to think of. Throw the reader off the scent up front. Because we tend to latch onto the first strong descriptor we get.

Three aliens walked in to the bowling alley.

"Why are they all wearing red bowties?" I muttered to Jill.

"No idea. Every time I see them, they're wearing red bowties. I keep
thinking those aren't really bowties; like they're some sort of
disguised tech device; maybe they think we think it's normal."

"Heeloh," the softest-skinned of the Almari group of aliens said as
they reached our table. "May weee joieeen you?"

I gestured to the empty chairs and the three folded their legs
underneath themselves to sit. It always freaked me out, like an elaborate
origami move, when they sat.

"So you like to bowl?" I asked them.

"Oh yes. Theee matheematics and geeometries geeeves us pleasure."

^^So there are several odd behaviors in that, which are nothing like Vulcans, Klingons, Ferengi, Zaphod Beeblebrox, Cylons, Ewoks, Aliens from Alien, or what have you. I intentionally put the bowties into dialog, to emphasize them. Dialog tends to be more memorable than narrative, at least for me.

I'm intending these particular aliens to head toward logic (vulcans). I'll avoid ever saying logic (opting for rationality and mathematics, etc) and showing logic in their thinking. But every now and then I'd comment on the red bowties or their strange way of sitting down.

That's my suggestion. Introduce the aliens with some visual oddity or other, and massage the details that concern you. And then remind us every so often that your aliens always wear red bowties (or whatever). We'll start thinking of them as those weird aliens in bowties. And, let's say you are skirting close to Klingons and your aliens have forehead ridges. Massage that--call them something else--Colorful boney protrusions surrounding their eyes. Etc. They are a warrior race--don't call it that. They have bloodlust (or something.). It's not honor, it's obligation.

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